


At the Heart of the Woods

by multipletabs



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: (or more accurately "like confessions"), Canon Compliant, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Spoilers, takes place at the very start of the postgame story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21524707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multipletabs/pseuds/multipletabs
Summary: After becoming Champion of Galar, Victor makes his way back into the Slumbering Weald and finds Hop is already there.
Relationships: Hop (Pokemon) & Masaru | Victor & Sonia (Pokemon), Hop/Masaru | Victor
Comments: 24
Kudos: 507





	At the Heart of the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked the scene where you find Hop again in the Slumbering Weald after beating Leon. The location was so beautiful and the things Hop said were so sweet, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the scene was missing something important, so I went ahead and added it in myself.

Victor had really wanted to sleep in today. It was his first day as Champion, and after completing the gym challenge and saving the world along the way, he felt he deserved the rest. He hadn’t even set an alarm the night before, but, as if on cue, his body wakes him up when the sun starts seeping into his room and the rookidee start chirping. A side effect of waking up early every day for all the training and gym challenges, Victor supposes.

He _wants_ to turn over and go back to his sleep, but his body refuses. Instead, Victor decides to do the sensible thing and get out of bed. The one small comfort Victor has in this moment is the knowledge that he’s free to do whatever he wants today, and for the foreseeable future. 

Normally, there’s a whole process one has to go through after one becomes Champion. Leon explained it last night, during the celebratory party. When Leon was crowned, he had to sign so many contracts, attend all these meetings, and a whole slew of heinously boring activities. And after that, there’s required appearances, show matches, and preparing for the next gym challenge and everything that comes with that. However, the recent mess with Chairman Rose trying to bring on the end of days put a massive wrench in the Galar League’s plans, so until the league untangles that debacle, Victor has all the free time in the world.

Victor grabs a bite of toast as he heads out the door, and says goodbye to his mom and her budew as he passes them in the garden, but when he reaches the first fork in the road just outside their small house, he pauses. 

The gate that guards the path to the Slumbering Weald is open. Of course, considering all Victor has seen over the past few days, it’s not the weirdest thing he’s seen, but that gate is kept shut at all times. It’s not right to see it open like this. The wind gently breezes past him, down the winding road into the wood, causing the gate to shudder on its hinges. 

_It was just the wind that blew it open_ , Victor concludes. But that answer doesn’t feel satisfying enough, somehow. Something inside him is telling him to go into the woods and investigate. It’s as if the forest itself is beckoning him. Victor makes up his mind and starts down the path, choosing to ignore the goosebumps that appear on his arms.

The fog in the Slumbering Weald isn’t as thick as it was the last time Victor was here, thankfully, but it’s still full of Pokémon, peacefully wandering about the tall grass, looking for berries to eat, or playing with each other. A very liberal application of repel is keeping them away from Victor--not that his Pokédex is anywhere near complete, but for today, all Victor wants to do is enjoy this walk and find out what’s calling him into the forest.

Victor finds it easier to navigate the woods without the fog, but even if he hadn’t been here just a few days before, Victor feels some sort of force, an invisible thread, gently guiding him towards the heart of the forest. Given everything he’s seen since he started his journey, from the phantom of Zacian on that first day, to capturing an almost god in a mere Poké Ball just a few days ago, Victor doesn’t question how weird that sounds.

It doesn’t take long for Victor to reach the heart of the Slumbering Weald, and seeing it now, in the morning sun, without the fog and impending threat of the end of the world, takes his breath away. Beams of sunlight dance down through the emerald leaves of the trees. The river has gone completely still, empty of all the water-type Pokémon that inhabit it in the rest of the forest. The noisy cries of wild Pokémon that were inescapable until now are nothing more than faint echoes lingering in the distance. Victor gazes straight ahead at the ruined arch and headstone that lay in the very center and spots a tiny rainbow cascading over the back of the pond. 

It’s not until he steps closer to the ruins that Victor recognizes a familiar green duffel bag and mop of blue hair. Hop is here, and somehow, that doesn’t surprise Victor at all. 

Hop is uncharacteristically still as he stands in place before the dais holding the headstone. It isn’t until he hears the crunching of leaves beneath Victor’s shoes that Hop realizes someone else is there with him.

“Huh? Victor?! What’re you doing here in the woods?” Hop asks, eyes full of surprise and wonder.

Victor smiles. “What about you?” 

Hop turns his head and looks around at the woods around him. “Nobody ever comes in here, since this is the forest where Zacian and Zamazenta rested. It’s the best place to do a bit of thinking, since it’s so quiet and all.” He tilts his head back towards Victor, like he’s waiting for a response.

Victor takes notice and explains how he saw the open gate, but Hop doesn’t look fully satisfied with that response, so Victor takes a risk, and tries to explain about the urge he felt inside pulling him into the woods, how he felt something guiding him back to this very spot, and hopes Hop understands.

Hop’s eyes widen. “You say you felt like something was calling you here, Victor?” 

Victor braces himself for a joke, but one doesn’t come. 

“That’s… Mate, that’s pretty uncanny.” Hop looks down at his shoes. There’s an unfinished thought lingering in the air between the two of them; they both felt drawn back to this place, and neither of them know what to feel about that.

In this rare moment of quiet between the two, Victor finally realizes just how good Hop looks in the light of the morning, standing out among the vibrant greens of the trees. Victor may have stopped Eternatus from destroying Galar, but he’s still a little afraid of these growing feelings for his best friend. 

Victor’s had a quiet crush on Hop for years. He’s not sure when or where it started; it’s hard to tell these days. The two had grown up together, and after all that time, things start to blur together, making it impossible for him to pinpoint an exact date, an exact moment that caused his feelings to change. All Victor knows is one day he looked at Hop and got a funny feeling in his chest that he couldn’t explain, and he hasn’t been the same since. 

Their journey through the Galar League hasn’t made things easier, either. Hop was by his side the whole time, challenging Victor, and constantly pushing him to be his best. Victor had seen Hop sink to his lowest point, only for him to bounce back triumphantly. The two had fought side by side with the very Pokémon that had saved Galar a millennia ago, and Victor’s admiration for the boy has only grown and grown.

“Oh, but I hadn’t had the chance to tell you!” The sound of Hop’s voice jars Victor out of his thoughts. “Congrats on your victory! Honestly, Victor… I never thought you’d manage to beat my brother. It’s actually still pretty hard to believe… Really… You’re amazing, Victor. So amazing, maybe, that I don’t even realize just how amazing you really are!” 

Hop’s eyes meet Victor’s for a brief moment, and Victor thinks he spies a hint of pink creeping onto Hop’s cheeks, but Hop turns around and faces away before Victor can tell for sure. 

Despite the stream of compliments and that fleeting glance, Victor knows Hop too well at this point, and isn’t at all surprised when Hop asks for a battle. A challenge Victor readily accepts.

The battle is over just as quick as all their others. Despite the work Hop has clearly put in to training his team since they last fought in the semifinals, he still can’t manage a victory over his rival.

Hop is smiling, though, when he says, “So, there really is no way I could ever beat you…” There is no bitterness in his voice, only quiet acceptance. 

Victor doesn’t know how to respond to that, so he only smiles and shrugs. Hop gives a small laugh at the gesture. 

With all of their Pokémon recalled back into their Poké Balls, Hop inches his way closer to Victor until he’s close enough that Victor can feel the heat of Hop’s breath between the cool breeze of the forest, still panting after their intense battle. 

Hop is silent, staring into Victor’s eyes with an expression Victor doesn’t recognize. Usually he can tell what Hop is thinking or feeling, but there’s something… new in his expression now that Victor can’t put his finger on. He opens his mouth to speak. “Hop, I--”

“Victor, I like you. Like, as in more than a friend. That type of like, yeah?” Hop interrupts, his face redder than Victor has ever seen it before. Victor is stunned into silence, so Hop continues, “N-not that you have to like me back or anything, mate, it’s cool if you don’t! I just-- the moment seemed right, yeah, and even though we’re rivals now, you’ve always been so bloody amazing, and I don’t wanna ruin our friendship, but I don’t think I can hold these feelings back any longer, and--”

"Hop,” Victor says, taking hold of Hop’s hand, which quiets the boy instantly. “It’s okay. I like you, too.” With a laugh, he adds, “Like, more than a friend.”

For once, Hop is at a loss for words.

“It’s… I’ve actually had a crush on you for a while now,” Victor continues, “But could never tell if you felt the same, and our journey together has only made it stronger. I was about to say the same thing but you started blathering on.” 

“That’s… champion, mate.” Hop smiles, soft and gentle.

Victor looks away. Standing up against Eternatus and battling Leon in front of the entire nation now seem like nothing compared to the question that was hanging off Victor’s lips. “Do you mind if I--”

But it seems Hop read his mind, and kisses Victor silent before he can finish the question. 

Like everything else in his life, Hop rushes into the kiss, excited, carefree, intense. And, like everything else in _his_ life, Victor is able to meet Hop’s challenge head on. It’s quickly all too clear that all their knowledge of Pokémon does not translate into knowledge of kissing, yet neither boy cares about that now. They’re too caught up in the rush and excitement, feeling the electricity pulse quietly underneath their skin.

Hop takes a bit more initiative and runs his fingers through Victor’s hair, and brings their faces even closer, somehow. There’s all too much teeth, but Victor doesn’t mind. He wraps his arms around Hop’s back and embraces him, far too lost in the moment to care about the minor details like that.

The kiss feels like it lasts a century, yet Victor still misses the feeling of Hop’s lips against his as they pull apart to catch their breath. Hop pulls back too, and with their faces mere inches apart, they stop to look at each other in silence, basking in the glow of the sun, studying the other’s face at a distance they once only dreamed of reaching. Hop continues to run his fingers through Victor’s hair as Victor traces lazy circles into Hop’s back, but their eyes remain locked on the other’s. Victor can’t help the huge smile spreading across his face. He finds he enjoys this quiet moment of gentle affection almost as much as the kiss. Almost.

The pair make a start to go in for a second round, until they hear someone clear their throat from the path behind them. Victor and Hop quickly break apart, leaving their hair and jackets askew in the process. There’s no hiding what just happened.

Sonia steps out from behind them and moves to their side, sporting the smuggest grin on her face that the two have ever seen. “And if it isn’t the two of you again. I was wondering what all the noise was about.” 

“And if it isn’t Sonia,” Hop says all too sheepishly, cheeks still burning bright as he turns towards her, unable to bring up his eyes to meet hers. 

Sonia doesn’t comment on Hop’s uncharacteristic lack of bravado, and instead smiles and turns to Victor. “Victor! Congratulations on beating Leon!” She looks between the two boys before adding, “And on snogging his brother. It’s about time, I say.”

“Hey!” Hop interjects, but Sonia only laughs.

“I was wonderin’ when you two would finally make the move. Leon owes me twenty quid now.”

“You’re tellin’ me my bro has lost twice in a row now? That’s some tough stuff, mate.” Hop looks back at Sonia, who’s laughing at Hop’s comment, and asks, a bit more confidently now, “So… what _are_ you doing here, anyway?”

Sonia looks like she’s waiting for the opportunity to talk about herself for a while now, and explains that she’s the professor now. Victor and Hop congratulate her, and she hands Victor a copy of her new book. Victor was so focused on his Pokémon journey, he didn’t even realize that Sonia was writing a book at the same time. He doesn’t say that, though, and thanks her for the book instead. 

Once that’s over with, Sonia directs Hop’s question back to the two boys. “So? What are you young’ns doing here? Other than having secret make out sessions, I mean.” She glances between them again and laughs when both faces turn completely red. “Relax, I’m just havin’ fun with you two. You’re here to put the Rusted Sword and the Rusted Shield back in their place, right?”

Hop’s eyes bulge out of his head. “We… were! Yeah, that’s what we were doing! We were just about to do that,” Hop replies, entirely unconvincing. Another realization strikes him. “That must be it, Victor! Why we felt like we were called here!” Hop looks at Victor with his trademark smile.

Victor doesn’t say anything, only nods. It’s a reasonable explanation, but a part of Victor is telling him that maybe something else, or rather some _one_ else, drew him back to the heart of the Slumbering Weald, too. 

Hop grabs Victor’s hand, and Victor reciprocates by wrapping his fingers around Hop’s own hand.

“C’mon,” Hop says, “Let’s put the sword and shield back together and say a proper thanks.”

Victor remains silent. He lets Hop guide him up the dais, hand-in-hand, to place the artifacts back where they originally found them. 

The two pause for a moment, fingers interlocked, and look into each other’s eyes once again. Neither of them speak, but the small smile on Hop’s face provides a comfort Victor didn’t know he needed. With his eyes locked on Hop, Victor knows that he’ll be able to fight whatever dangers still lurk in the shadows, and tackle whatever challenges he may face as Champion, as long as he has Hop by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> (and then Sordward and Shielbert show up and ruin everything but let's just ignore that for the time being lmao)


End file.
